“He’s into that final chapter of his career and he’ll want to give those best times to Celtic. When you’ve been a player playing 60-70 games a season over the last few years, you need to look after your body.”

Celtic's Scott Brown celebrates scoring their fifth goal

It now remains to be seen whether the decision does prove to be a smart one for Brown and indeed Celtic in the near future.

This season in particular is one in which they will need him to be at his best, with their dominance of Scottish football set to be seriously threatened by Rangers' return to the top flight.

Sean Lunt

Sean Lunt is a Journalism and Spanish graduate with a passion for football. As an avid Everton fan he has survived the Walter Smith era, enjoyed the resurgence under David Moyes and is now wholly embracing the Spanish revolution with Roberto Martinez. Away from Everton he follows the rest of the football league and has a particular interest in La Liga.